One fast Vette

[DartGT66]

About five years ago, there had been rumours that there would be a big street race on saturday. The confirmation for the rumour came early on saturday, and I spent the whole day repairing the trans of my friends '56 chevy 210 with a pretty stout 327. It was my first chevy trans rebuild, and finally on the fourth attempt the sprag was installed the right side up and the trans worked! It was a TH 400 with a trans brake. Anyway there was a meeting at midnight at one gas station, and my friend went home to relax and then go to the meet. I intended to go there as a wiever, but I still had my cars transmission in parts on the floor. So I put it back together, installed it and drove to the gas station where the meet was. Just in time. There were about 30 cars, and they were pulling the first round pairs out of the hat when I arrived. To my surprise some friendly soul had also added my name to the race, and because I like racing I had nothing against it. My first round was against someone called Jussi, I had a friend called the same with a Fury who was in the race, so I thought I was against him when an elder guy came to my car with his teenage son. He opened the discussion by saying "well, you had a little bad luck. You are against my Corvette in the first round." I told him that these things shouldn't be taken too seriously, and that it's always nice to race even if you loose to a faster car. I found out he was a favorite of the race, and had run 11.3 sec test times just a week before. I had no idea of what kind of ET's my car run, but I had some M&H's under the car just like he did in the Corvette. We were the first pair; I had no idea how the start should happen, so I asked the 'flag man'; he told that he would switch a light on, and when he switches it off we should leave. We were side by side in the highway when the light turned off and I left. The Corvette didn't. He didn't understand the start method and went after me, figured he couldn't catch up and lifted. We drove in to the second meeting place about 10 miles away, to avoid cops, and discussed about what happened. I told that we could take a rematch, I didn't want a present win, and he was more than happy with that. The second race against the vette was tight, he had better traction at the start and was a fender length in front of me, but I had the power and had about one car length advantage in the top end. In the third meeting place the Vette guy and his teenage son were on the side, the teenager was crying loudly and blaming his father "... and you have told me how fast this car is, and then comes a '73 four door light blue Valiant with hubcaps and beats you..." Didn't see them after that occasion that night. Anyway, there were still three rounds left, next opponent was a 383 Chevelle that had no chance, then one 350 Camaro and the same thing. The final was left, and it was against a lot lightened Aspen with a hot 383, a high 11 sec car. That was tight, I lost traction after about 100 yards and the car got really badly sideways the rear tires a while in the sand, but I didn't lift, got it straight again and won the race. That summer there was two more similar races and I won them all. In the next races I drove only at part throttle and tried to stay about a car length behind the early round opponents at the early part and then just pass him before the finish line . Almost lost a couple of racees because of that 'strategy'. After that summer there has not been such races here, at least no one has informedd me about them. Also my car(s) got such a reputation that no one wants to race even my /6 Aspen, which is propably the slowest car on the earth. Every now and then some Toyota or BMW guy may try something, but otherwise I don't get much challenges. Even the motorcycles will not race my Dart after beating a 1100 Katana Suzuki bad.

[This message has been edited by DartGT66 (edited December 22, 1999).]

[This message has been edited by DartGT66 (edited December 22, 1999).]

[My63WoodyWagon390SuperMrd]

Great story. That just goes to show everyone how fast any MoPar are

[JohnnyMopar]

It is a sad state of affairs today. I whine to my wife constantly that there just aren't many wicked cars on the streets anymore. All you see are Rice burners with huge wings they can barely fit on the car, slammed to the ground suspension and a tailpipe a softball couldn't seal off. And my 94 Intrepid with 150K smokes the hell out of em. It's been since 94-95 that I had a low 11 sec street car, but am I blind in thinking the street muscle has been given up to the Rising Sun? I know some guys have sweet and strong rides......but they hardly ever come out.

You fellas in your 30's, do you see the same thing where you are?

I miss my 68 Barracuda ALOT, but would it have any competition that I wouldn't have to spend the whole night looking for?

Merry XMAS to All!

JM

[SJS440]

Even though I am just a pup in the whole realm of things, I would still agree with you. You see more $50 cars with $10000 stereos then anything these days. I have not given up though, soon to be cruising the streets in my town is a primered Duster with with no interior, except for the five points and a cage. There will be a healthy 440, pounding the streets. Racing at the strip is great, but nothing beats spanking somebody in what they thought was junk.

[Thunderstruck]

Yeah, the street scene in Killeen, TX sucks. Tucson, AZ had a good scene 5-6 years ago when I left. My biggest "threat" these days is some clown in an Eclipse. I tend to hand them thier head with my Diplomat. Occasionally a Mustang will play and they can be a challenge if they ain't stock. When I get my 65 Cuda done I'll likely generate more action but it's set to kill.

Steve

[speedy]

I'm from the motor city and i see thousands of nice cars every day during the summer.THE problem isn't trying to find a race ,its trying to not race .THeres a car show every night of the week with in a 10 miles from my house.Are WOODWARD cruise was over 1 million people and the GRATIOT AVE cruise was 500 thousand people last summer 1'st year for GRATIOT .Down the street in MT. Clemens they shut the town down every SATERDAY and have a car cruise.MOPARS are going strong up hear in the last five years.

[cruzerjd]

Y'all need to come to the Willamette valley, while we have too many rice burners and pimp cars, we also have a good amount of true performance cars still on the road. The climate here in Eugene, Oregon is well acclimated to keeping rust away. Although most of the crop if performance cars are af the post 1980 variety, i.e. Mustwangs and Camarslow's, there are a Lot of old Mopar's around. Seems that many people don't want to part with their good ol Mopar's tho, prices are high if you can find one for sale. I do know of a '74 Duster around the corner that run's up at Woodburn and is setting about low 14's to high 13's with a 318, and there are several Darts and Valients out there, one of which I purchased a few years back for $700 off a car lot with the 318, ralley wheels, console shift and vinal roof. Ran it for a while til the water pump blew coming off the pass and couldn't get it off the road in time. Screwed my main bearings and I parked it. Some guy came by and offered my parents $275 for that "old clapped out thing" as mom called it, and they sold it. Seems the guy was in the local Mopar club and ended up restoring the car and giving it to his wife, too bad. Two people at my work drive early 70's Challengers, one with a 318 and the other with a 383, pretty cool. So the cars are out there, just look around. mopowr79

[Thunderstruck]

I finally got some street action the other day. Some flavor of Acura wanted to top end it. Unfortunately I was in the Neon (96 SOHC, auto) and I lost I guess the Diplomat looks too much like a Copcar and the Cuda looks too much like a muscle car. I gotta get something that looks easy but I can build to whip butt.

Steve

[mtnmopar]

This story happened a long time ago in the WV hills. I had just gotten a new 55 Chevy V8 convertible, red and white, and thought the world was my oyster. Were running the late nite strip, a piece of state owned blacktop, and I drew this 54 Dodge green 4 door sedan. It was a family car being raced on the sly by a 16 year old. I was like a lot of others and hadn't heard about the Super Red Ram hemi. Well I saw that same car many times that summer and he cleaned my clock every time. A while later I became the owner of a 57 Chevy 2 door hdtop with a 283 V8 and dual factory 4 barrels, took me 4 months and a $1000 deposit on a $2800 car to get it. Guess what, same kid a little older running daddy's 4 door, green again, Dodge. I learned all about the D500 option and again I had the cleanest clock in town. Well being a slow learner, I tried one more time, 59 Chevy coupe 348 tripower and again was my clock shiny. Traded the Chevy on a 63 Dodge 413 and never looked back.

[2ltl2l8]

I gotta get something that looks easy but I can build to whip butt.

Steve. Believe it or not, the Neon has become a very capable car. If you spend the right amount of $$$, you can run mid 11's in that car. It requires the purchase of a turbo kit and a few other mods, but it can go. And thats the perfect sleeper. Everyone I know thinks the neon looks easy. It's taken me the last 2 years to gain some respect around town with my neon, but I have a pretty good reputation now around the southern city of Denver as having one of the fastest neon's around. And I ain't that fast yet . People will be surprised when your little front wheel drive neon can walk all over a camaro ss. Its the best feeling in the world!

[Glen440]

The street seen has been killed here in Toronto. The cops came down real hard last year and started fining spectaters. I hear there are some still going. I went a few times 2 years ago. The fastest car I saw was a 67 Dart with a 440 and little sticky tires.
I watched it beat a big block Camaro with a blower and no hood. The Cheb hung the tires about a foot. The Dart just went with no lift. I couldn't believe he won. My best win
was against a 454 Chevelle on the way there.
I killed him so bad he gave up after first gear. My car only ran low 13's. Going to the Drag strip on Friday nights is good. You get to kill all the Rustangs. I had to go through
a R.I.D.E check by the cops once after a wednesday night of racing. The cops wondered where I was burning out cause of the rubber all over my quarters. They thought my car was slow when I handed them my 13.3 time slip.That was through exhaust and on crappy tires. I ussually don't race anyone on the street. I can't hide an orange Volare Roadrunner. I was getting blamed for the red cars that were racing. Oh well.
Glen440